Disney High
by RedRose207
Summary: Welcome to Disney High, a place where dreams come true! Come follow some of your favorite Disney characters as they enter a modern high school setting.
1. Prologue

_Another Disney High thing. Enjoy…All villains (or accomplices) that are not directly associated with the hero(ine) through family or marriage is a teacher. The school founding date, 1928, was when Mickey Mouse made his first appearance in_ Steamboat Willie_._

_**Prologue: Lips Red as Blood**_

She has that feeling. That feeling where your stomach does a backflip, turns upside down, and twists and turns like you're wringing a towel. It's not like she's scared. Well, maybe a little bit, but she has been through far worse than what she is about to face now. At least her mother—ahem, stepmother—won't be here. In fact, her step-mother is waving from her Mercedes Benz, a warm smile on her face and a cynical look in her eyes. She could easily tell what her stepmother's eyes are saying: "I hope you choke on that apple".

_Just remember she's not going to be here._

Repeating that statement silently to herself, she stared at the schedule she had received earlier that August and proceeded up the stairs. Walter Elias Disney High School, or more commonly known as Walt Disney High or Disney High, was an old building. The school was founded in 1928, the same year a very popular cartoon character first appeared on television with a tugboat. Her locker was on the third floor in the back of school, as was tradition with freshman. Room 324 was her homeroom and her teacher was Mr. Manuel Hunt. Mr. Hunt had been specifically asked by her stepmother to be her homeroom teacher so he could keep a good eye on her and make sure the young girl's heart was in perfect condition.

The hallways were crowded with students, mostly chatting about their summer vacations and dread for the school year. To her it seemed like the beginning of almost any high school movie, ones where there's a new girl and everything goes wrong, then right, then wrong, then right because of a clique, romantic interest, and wacky yet utterly supportive best friend. Unfortunately the fantasy of life being like most pre-teen high school movies would be crushed under the weight of reality. However, this is Disney High.

"Snow, I thought it was you!"

Snow turned around to a see a blonde girl sporting a blue dress, black Mary-Janes, and a black headband with a large bow on the side. She recognized the girl from freshman orientation and eighth grade science. Truth be told, Snow wondered how the girl managed to pass any of her classes. The girl was known for always having her head in the clouds and dreaming up some really strange stuff like a rabbit that is always running late, a queen who plays croquet with flamingos, and a man who has tea with a hare and throws the teacups. Yes. The girl did seem strange to most, but some of the other students found her quite entertaining.

"It's a pleasure to see you again," Snow said, trying to be as polite as possible. "How was your summer?"

The girl's eyes went wide with excitement. "It was _amazing_! I saw him again. The rabbit. For a creature that carries a pocket watch bigger than his head, I'm surprised he can't ever arrive on time. Also, there was this food and this drink that would make you grow and shrink."

Snow nodded her head. "That sounds like an interesting dream."

"It wasn't a dream." The girl paused. "Well, I don't think it was because it seemed so real. Yet again, I probably did fall asleep while my sister was reading one of her summer reading books. Have you found your locker and homeroom yet?"

"No."

"Well, you better go before the bell rings. According to what I hear, the teachers aren't against handing out detentions on the first day."

"Thanks, Alice," Snow said before walking off.

Snow gave a slight wave to Alice as she continued down the hall and up the stairs to the third floor. She placed her unneeded books and binders in her locker, closed and locked it, and walked down the hall and around to corner to her homeroom. When she opened the door, Mr. Hunt sat at his desk in the front of the room, glancing at papers. Others soon began filing into the room, including Alice, and took seats wherever they pleased. After the first bell rang promptly at 8:15, the principal came onto the intercom.

"Welcome back old students and welcome new ones. For those of you that may have missed orientation or simply forgot, I am Principle Mouse. Clubs will be displaying booths in the lounge during lunch period all throughout this week. Remember that you must earn ten service hours by the end of the year and half of them must be earned through one of our service clubs. All service clubs will have booths running all this week and for the list of non-service club booth days please check on the door leading to the offices or on the club bulletin board on the first floor next to Ms. Octa's room. That concludes our announcements, and I hope you have a magical day!"

_The first day of high school_, Snow thought_, a magical day indeed._


	2. Chapter One

_(__**Drizella**__'s name was given the alternate spelling __**Drusilla**__ and then I nicknamed her __**Drew**__ because so far I don't know anyone who would name their daughter (or son…) Drizella and I couldn't find any "modern" alternatives. Anastasia still keeps her name, __**Cinderella's last name**__ is the last name of her author, Charles__** Perrault**__, and I named __**Lady Tremaine "Georgine"**__ because I felt like it. Also, I think I'm a dialogue-aholic…writing a ton of paragraphs makes me feel bleh…)_

_**Chapter One: If the Slipper Fits**_

__"You could have arrived sooner. We have company."

These were the first words out of the woman's mouth as the door opened, revealing her biological daughters. She stood there, arms crossed, and one disapproving eyebrow raised. Her signature scowl formed on her lips. Behind the woman, you could see a large black cat creep out of the shadows. It slinked over and sat proudly next to its mistress. Its smile was like a devilish grin, almost as disturbing as the Cheshire Cat's.

Her daughters clumsily stepped into the foyer. They smiled sweetly, but their smiles were similar to the cat's.

"Why, Mother," one said, "we would've been here _way_ sooner, but Ella made us late."

"Totally!" the other responded. "If she just would've hurried up with Drew's bags, then we would've been here a whole lot sooner."

"Bags?" The woman shifted her weight, pondering a possible punishment. "What bags?"

"The bags she got when we went shopping! Didn't you max one of her credit cards, Drew?"

Drew hit her sister upside the head. "Ana, you ditz! Why did you say that?"

The woman watched as her daughters argued and eventually started some sort of slap fight. They were such disappointments. How could they have turned into such shallow young women? They obviously did not attain such behavior from their mother. Their mother was one of the kindest souls you could ever meet, raising her stepdaughter as her own even after her parents' deaths. Who or what could have been causing this negative influence?

A sixteen-year-old girl emerged from the doorway, carrying three backpacks and five shopping bags. She dropped the shopping bags on the floor, earning her a screech from Drew. The woman nodded towards the kitchen and the girl scurried off past the company. Out of the corner of her eye she recognized a girl from school, Snow, and immediately knew what was going on. Her stepmother was going to offer "parenting advice" straight of her book, _Stepmothers: Wicked or Protective?_.

The book was a source of pride to her stepmother. Known as one of the most popular stepmothers and family counselors, she was often sought after for advice. The first chapter, named "Chores: Love Them", seemed to be a big hit with the stepmothers in their town. The girl knew her stepmother seemed to enjoy that particular chapter. The list of chores was typed and put on the small table in the foyer under a glass paperweight. Today's list was light. The only big command was to make hors d'oeuvres.

She mentally kicked herself. Of course there was something she was forgetting.

"You go to Disney High, right?" Snow appeared in the doorway, carrying tuber ware. "It's Ella, I think."

"Yeah," Ella said. She walked over to the sink and began washing her hands. "Your mom is here for counseling?"

Snow took the lid off the tuber ware and the smell of leftover apple tart filled the room. "Yes. She seems paranoid. You know that knew brand of makeup, Skin White As Snow? Well, she's practically been buying up the whole stock, mumbling something about how it'll make her look younger."

"I'd rather have a mom who's paranoid rather than a control freak like mine. You should see the lists she gives me! Reset the mousetraps, sweep the floors, refill the birdfeeders!"

A crash was heard and the two girls looked towards the foyer. Ella could hear her stepmother scolding Ana and Drew, her voice becoming high-pitched as she tried to control her anger. Then, her voice softened and became refined as another woman spoke.

"I'm surprised at how well you handle it, Georgine," the woman said. "Not many people can raise such a poised daughter and also manage their spouse's _unmentionables_."

Snow blushed and laid the apple tart on the serving dish Ella had set out. She then smoothed her dress and quickly scurried back into the foyer, leaving Ella alone. Ella could almost picture how her stepmother looked: mouth slightly agape, eyes squinted, and her hand clenched in a fist behind her back. After trying for many years to convince people that she was the wicked stepsister, it was nice for someone to see through Georgine's rouse.

The kitchen door opened and two boys walked in. Ella quickly shut the door behind them and held up her pointer finger to shush them.

"You two shouldn't be here!" she whispered harshly. Outside she could hear Georgine asking impatiently for the hors d'oeuvres. "You know she's banned you from the house, and Lucifer's been told to go after you two in heartbeat."

"Relax, Ellie!" The boy took off his orange jacket and threw in on the chair. "Besides, we brought you something."

The other boy held up a to-go box and opened it to reveal Prosciutto-Wrapped Grissini. He smiled a big toothy grin and said, "Jacque and I figured the Terrible Twos would make you late, so we picked up something from Tony's Restaurant."

"You'd be amazed at how walking dogs for the Browns can have its advantages, not including Scamp's behavior of course."

Ella thanked her friends and, after placing the appetizers on a tray, walked into the sitting room. Drew stood next to the piano as Georgine sat down and Ana started playing a few scales on her flute to warm up. In the chair next to the fireplace sat whom she presumed to be Snow's stepmother. The woman's eyes scanned the room, probably looking for any imperfections she could find. They landed on Snow and she sneered.

The appetizers were placed on the coffee table and soon enough, all eyes were on Drew and Ana. Ana curtsied deeply, hitting Drew in the face as her arm went up. Snow and Ella snickered, but the woman looked at Georgine with a smug look on her face. Of course _her_ daughter would never make such a mistake. Anyway, Ana adjusted her stand, arranging her sheet music as Georgine began to play. All smugness vanished from the woman's face and instead went to Georgine's. She played beautifully, but then…

"Sing sweet, nightingale. Sing sweet, nightingale, high above me. Oh, sing sweet, nightingale. Sing sweet, nightingale…" a loud and crackling voice sang.

And then...

_SQUEEK! SQUEEK! SQUEE!_

"My ears!" the woman exclaimed, standing up abruptly. "I thought I came here to be entertained and learn a thing or two about raising my stepdaughter, but I see I was mistaken!"

Snow looked at Ella with a small smile on her face and pity in her eyes; however, the pity was replaced with shock when her stepmother grabbed her arm and dragged her to her feet. Georgine stopped her daughters from creating more racket and rushed to the woman to stop her from leaving. She secretly hoped she wouldn't look as nervous as she felt since she couldn't lose another client. Only yesterday, a woman came in as happy as can be, but she left in a fit of anger, tears, and a few choice words. Why, you may ask? Well, if you want, Ana and Drew can play you another song?

"Regina, please excuse my daughters. They were just warming up. Weren't you, girls?"

"No weren—ow!" Ana exclaimed, Drew jabbing her in the stomach.

"Of course were, Ms. Grimhilde," Drew said.

Regina stopped, but did not look so certain. "I'm sorry, Georgine, but maybe I should find another counselor, someone with a bit more _control_."

She turned and opened the door, recoiling when she noticed a man standing on the doorstep.

"I have a letter for Miss Ella Perrault, Anastasia Tremaine, and Drusilla Tremaine from a Mister Princeton Charming."

"A letter!"

Ana and Drew ran to the door, shoving Regina and Snow aside, and grabbed the letter simultaneously. They fought over the letter for a minute or so before Georgine took it out of their hands. She read over it carefully and her eyebrows peaked with interest.

"What does it say?" Ella inquired, excitement bubbling within her.

"It says he is inviting all the students in his grade to his seventeenth birthday and that you may bring a guest," Georgine said. "Unfortunately, you cannot attend due to your chores. What a pity. Anastasia and Drusilla, this Saturday we will go shopping and, Regina, you are happy to join us. I am sure the girls would _love _to have Snow be their guest."

"As lovely as that sounds," Regina said, shushing her daughter and walking out the door, "we do not associate ourselves with anyone we consider not fair."


	3. Chapter Two

_(These chapters are going to be short and will be uploaded whenever I get around to it. I know this chapter isn't that good, so I'm sorry. Also, I love dialogue, probably too much.)_

**Chapter Two: Sleep Tight**

The backyard of the Charming's house was beautiful that Saturday night. Lights and lanterns were strung through the trees and in bushes. Long tables were set up near the porch where the buffet table was. A DJ was near the back of the yard where smaller tables were located. Students danced and some of the adults stood inside, watching the festivities and enjoying their own little party.

At one of the smaller tables sat two girls. They scanned the crowd, bored. One of the girls took out a small book from her purse.

The other stood up and smoothed her dress. "Why did you even invite me to go with you if we aren't going to enjoy ourselves?"

"I'm enjoying myself. Parties aren't really my scene, anyway," the first responded.

"Belle," the second said, grabbing Belle's arm and tugging slightly, "you brought me along to have a good time and even if we don't dance, at least pay attention. This could make a good article for _The Epic_. I brought my camera." She took out a camera from her large, black purse. "Besides, you owe me."

"I owe you nothing, Aurora."

"Liar! Wait!" Aurora looked towards the porch where a girl was standing nervously. "Isn't that the girl from your French class?"

Belle also looked towards the porch. "Ella? I suppose. Someone said she couldn't come, but I guess her fairy godmother showed up." She shrugged. "Anyway, I have bad news."

Aurora, eyes still fixated on Ella's blue dress, asked, "What? What's wrong?"

"The _Pink vs. Blue Fashion Column_ had to be cut to make room for the game against the Middleton High Mad Dogs. I tried to keep it in, but you know how LeFou gets." She stood up and grabbed her clutch. "Princeton seems to have taken an interest in Ella. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I always knew he had a thing for blondes with pretty faces. Would've dated me if I didn't have Philip."

"Funny, Aurora."

The two surveyed the scene. Most of the juniors had attended and, with their guests and dates, it was a pretty good turnout. The DJ was entertaining, even if he was a bit overenthusiastic, but a few of the guests, especially the males, had stopped dancing to watch Ella. She looked nervous and was blushing furiously as she made her way towards the back of the yard, ignoring the glares some of the girls gave her as she passed, including two girls who looked like she was about to kill her.

Princeton had left the girl he was dancing with and walked over to Ella. With a large swoop, he bowed and took her hand.

"He's like a _total _Prince Charming!" one very excited girl exclaimed, only to be followed by a "No, duh."

The music was slowing and Princeton led Ella onto the dance floor as girls began to slow dance with their girl friends (and some with their boyfriends), and the boys either went to stand off to the side or dance with a girl they had their eyes on. Belle gathered her book, purse, and shawl as Aurora fiddled with her compact. In the reflection she could see a boy, staring at the two. He looked rather angry and narcissistic. He was also in dire need of haircut. This staring session went on until _Garland Waltz_ by Tchaikovsky rung through the air.

Blushing, Aurora dug through her bag and pulled out her Blackberry. Letting out a groan, she answered the call.

"Hello?...I'm still at the party…It's only nine o'clock. The party won't end for another hour or two…why do I have to come home?...But!...Yes, ma'am."

"So, we're leaving?" Belle asked. She was now standing over Aurora, all set to go. She looked around and noticed that their host and Ella had mysteriously wandered off. "I have to study for my AP literature class and brush up on my fairy tales for the discussion in Ms. Drago's class, so it's not a big deal."

"We are, unfortunately. My aunts can be so uptight sometimes! They're trying to have me go to bed early in hopes of helping my narcolepsy. 'Beauty is sleep is very important, Aurora-Rose,' they say. If it wasn't bad enough that I have three breathing down my neck, there are four more!"

Belle placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "By living with your aunts, you get to have a great education at Disney High and–"

"Belle. I know you're one of the few people who actually _likes _going to school for the academic reason, but so not helping."

"—and you're aunts have good intentions."

"Always the good one. Aren't you?"

"It's a gift."

The two stayed for a few more minutes before leaving. Aurora dropped Belle off at her house. Maurice, Belle's father, was testing one of his new inventions as the girls drove up. His new alarm system consisted of robotic dogs, a loud siren, and spotlights. Many blinding spotlights. Neighbors were not happy, and let's just say that no one in the little neighborhood was getting their beauty sleep that night.


	4. Chapter Three

_(Short chapter as usual. Watch _After Today _to get some of the references. Sorry if Al's ethnicity is incorrect. His story is in the _Arabian Nights _book, in the movie one song is _Arabian Nights, _and his name is Arabian, but when I looked up if Arabian/Arabic was an ethnicity, I got "no". When it comes to where there are sultans, I got The Ottoman Empire, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and more. Mecca, where Islam was founded is in Saudi Arabia, so it could be there. When it comes to travelling in _A Whole New World, _the places they went to (Egypt then Greece) would still be in order and it would seem quicker if they started in Saudi Arabia. Sorry. This is long.)_

**Chapter Three: An Extremely Goofy Movie **

_-DAD!_

_-What, Maxie?_

_-The title!_

_-Hyuck! Whoops. Sorry. Now let me see…_

**Chapter Three: An Extremely Goofy Chapter**

A seventeen-year old boy walked down the steps only to stop after hearing an all too familiar "Maxie!". His father, the neighborhood goof and the night janitor for Disney High, ran after him in a green towel, bunny slippers, and a pink towel on his head with a paper bag lunch in hand. His dad planted a large kiss on the boy's cheek and handed him the bag before running back into the house. The boy continued down the steps and attempted to walk though the gate. It was broken, as usual, so he jumped over it and continued down the road.

"Blech!" He said wiping the saliva from his cheek. In such a rush to get away from his dad, he didn't notice the marbles on the ground. "_AaaAAAaaahh!" _

A stout boy carrying a duffel bag and wearing a letter jacket caught him. "You okay, Max?"

"If no one saw the last two things that just happened, then I will be," Max responded, as he heard the sound of a skateboard.

"Max, PJ, wait up!" A redhead sporting a buzz cut and carrying a can of spray cheese came skating up behind them along with a tall Middle Eastern boy. He sprayed some cheese in his mouth. "What's u-u-uuup?!"

"Nothing except that my dad is trying to kill me with embarrassment," Max responded.

"At least your dad isn't trying to convince Coach Octetes to let you on the football team even though tryouts were back in April _and_ making you wear his stupid letter jacket in hopes of you becoming popular."

"I have it worse. Try having Mr. Abdiel constantly breathing down your neck. 'If you don't get an _A_ I will _sssssss_uspend you'," The Middle Eastern boy mimicked.

Max ducked as the redhead tossed his now empty spray cheese can. "Watch it, Bobby! And, Al, at least you don't have to deal with him every day at every waking moment. And Peej, you're right. You do have it worse."

The four made it to Disney High a good while before first bell and walked down the hall. People were complaining about gym class, about their algebra tests, and about home economics. The four were briefly pushed aside by a senior, who PJ recognized from his English class as Philip, a junior, and a sophomore, discussing a party that had happened the previous weekend.

Somehow the junior, who they discovered to be Princeton and the host of said party, had forgotten whom the girl he was with. After spending practically all of the night with the girl, he couldn't remember her face. Philip said that that had to be one of the worst things a guy could do and that Princeton would be lucky to get another date. I mean, _if _he got another date. The sophomore had no input whatsoever.

The talk of girlfriends and relationships had Max feeling kind of lousy. Over the summer his girlfriend of three years, Roxanne, and him broke up. She moved to California and they tried the long distance thing, but it wasn't working out. The texting, calling, skype-ing, and face timing helped, but it still would've been nice to see each other in person, but California's a long way.

PJ and Al managed to cheer him up and thought that he should try dating someone else. Maybe a brunette instead of a redhead, whereas Bobby thought that maybe another Roxanne wouldn't hurt. But where would he find her?

As if by magic (even though perfect-timing is a common trait in the students), a girl ran down the hall followed by a young boy. The girl had long red hair and was wearing a thin, loose white top with light green shorts and dark green sandals. Her top was so thin you see some purple underneath from her bra. Sticking out of the corner of her orange bag, was black Persol PO 3012V eyeglasses. She ran up to the four and the young boy behind her was panting like crazy.

"Need…auditorium…where?" the boy gasped barely comprehendible.

"Slow your roll there, kid," Al said. "What do you need?"

"We need to find the auditorium!" the girl exclaimed. "And fast! _Ooooh! _Daddy's gonna kill me!"

"The auditorium is…" PJ began.

"_GET BACK HERE, MISSY!_"

The girl grabbed the boy's arm and rushed off. "Sorry! Gotta go! Come on, Bleu!"

Al watched the girl dodge students. "Jeez! What's her deal? It's not like a shark's chasing her. Right, Max?" Max didn't answer. "Max?"

Max watching the girl with a look known at Disney High as The Love at First Sight Look. The corners of his mouth turned up into a smile and he managed to say, "Wow!"

"Looks like our Maxie has got a girl!" Bobby exclaimed, putting his arm around Max.

"We aren't together," Max said, coming out his daze.

"Yet."


	5. Chapter Four

(_Liddel comes from _American McGee's Alice _and _Alice: Madness Returns. **I own neither. Both belong to American McGee. **_James is from _Once Upon A Time _**(don't own that either)**_.___I remember Tink as having an attitude, but I think she might have turned out more like Megara. Guess when I get to Meg, I'll have to amp up the snark!)_

**Chapter Four: Other Girl**

It was peaceful eating lunch out in the quad. It was still early enough in the summer for it to be warm, but just late enough to provide a slight chill so the students wouldn't overheat in the sun. Many students didn't eat in the quad, though, because of the lack of tables and seating. There was one group of girls who was peacefully eating their lunch, though. There wasn't much conversation, however, because the girls weren't exactly friends.

You see, one girl known as Tink was only sitting with the other two, Snow and Alice, because there was no room at her usual table. It was instead filled with a gaggle of girls all hoping to see her best friend. Her best friend had been with her for years. He was the one who thought of the nickname Tink, creating it from her last name, Tinkers (even though nowadays people believe it's to stop confusion between her and the junior, Belle Merchant). He was also an insane ladies' man. Girls were attracted to him, and he loved the attention so much that he usually forgot about important things. Like Tink.

Tink was partially used to him forgetting about her. I mean, it still hurt when he would leave her to hang out with some other girl, especially that Wendy chick, but he had done it so often Tink realized that there was no changing him. Besides, why should she care? She has friends. The entire first group moved away the summer after seventh grade, and she was separated from the second group when she transferred to Disney High from The Hollow School for Girls, but they were still friends. They just weren't there every time she needed them.

It made her kind of sick to think that the only reason she was hanging out with these freshmen were because her best friend was easily distracted.

"Any advice?" Snow asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. She had taken off her yellow cardigan to cool off and was now fiddling with the hem of her dress. "Like what to expect?"

"Do you have Mr. Hook for English?" Tink asked.

"No."

"Mr. Smee for science?"

"No."

"Anyone that looks evil?"

"I have Mr. Hunt for homeroom."

"You'll be fine. What's up with your friend?"

Alice was dazing off into the distance at these three boys. When she saw they were coming over, she immediately started fixing her headband and brushing out the wrinkles on her skirt and blouse.

"Alice is a dreamy hopeless romantic," Snow said, watching the boys. Even though she was trying to seem cool and snarky to impress Tink, she couldn't admit that she herself was also a hopeless romantic. That, and that she was paying close attention to one of the boys in the group. "There's nothing we can do," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Bell, do you know the Liddel girl?" one of the boys asked as they approached.

"It's Tink, James. And no. I don't know this mysterious girl you're after. Don't tell me you pulled a Charming and forgot your date's face."

One boy who dressed very preppy and with every hair in place, winced at the phrase "pulled a Charming". Tink noticed and finally got the connection.

"Wow." She clapped her hands almost as slowly as she said that statement. "And to think I thought that was just a rumor."

Preppy Boy spoke: "Tink, do you know Elizabeth Liddel's little sister or not?"

"I'm her sister." Alice was now standing and blocking the boy's views of Snow and Tink. "What do you need?"

"Did your sister come to my party?" asked Preppy Boy.

"No. I don't think so. Why?"

"It's just that—"

"Come on, guys," the third said, cutting of Preppy Boy, turning his back, and walking off. "Aurora is going to kill me if we don't meet her in the library."

Preppy Boy and James followed, muttering _thanks for the help_'s and _sorry to waste your time Tink_'s.

Alice, still confused, asked, "What's going on?"

"Rumor has it, or I guess not now since it's been confirmed, Preppy Boy hung out with this girl all night at his party and forgot what she looked like and even her name!" Tink said. "He's been hunting for her ever since. He has nothing to go on! People say that she left her cell phone and some even think she left her shoe, but no one knows for sure."

Alice was in awe. "Really? But how do you know?"

"My best friend was invited since he should've been in the junior class." Tink paused and then added, "He got held back."

The three, finished with their lunch, started back towards the cafeteria. They had no real reason in going there, but with forty minutes left, the had to pass the time somehow. Tink was starting to lighten up a bit after talking to Alice and Snow for a bit more. She was still pretty miffed over the abandonment, but at least now she was the one distracted instead of the one being distracted from. In fact, the mixture of her miffed-ness and her happiness led to her the idea of getting back at her best friend. Why not show him that she could be perfectly happy without him.

She strode over to her usual table, precisely as gracefully as if she was flying. She stood behind her friend and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. He turned around, smiling, and Tink saw the newest girl on his list: Vidia.

Vidia also went to The Hollow School for Girls, but she got expelled after stealing the Prom Queen's crown and the Homecoming Queen's and the Spring Fling Princess's. How she got into Disney High we will never know. It probably has something to do with the Principle and belief of good in everyone. I mean, _come on_! Have you _met _the teachers?! No other school would hire them!

"Peter, what's up?" Tink forced a smile at Vidia. "Has James and his friends come up asking about the mystery girl at the party?'

"No, but hey!" Peter said, still smiling and completely oblivious. Tink had mentioned that Vidia was evil a lot. "Have you met Jane? She's Wendy's cousin!"

Tink turned her head stiffly to look at the brunette sitting next to Wendy. She wasn't as polished as her cousin. Jane had more of scruffy, tomboyish look to her.

_Peter likes her because she's related to _her, Tink thought.

"No. Nice to meet you!" _I'm lying through my teeth_.

Awkward silence. Suddenly remembering that she still had Snow and Alice waiting for her, she excused herself. As Tink, Alice, and Snow walked out of the cafeteria and toward the main building they heard a large yell:

"_ARIEEEEEEELLLLLL!"_

_In my profile I've said how Disney High is being written in case any of you are confused. I can be bad at communicating sometimes (wonder why I'm a "writer", then), so if it makes no sense, tell me._


	6. Chapter Five

_(I know the story of Heracles for the most part. I know the important things about his birth and his parents and all. Because I want to keep this K+ rated I changed some things. So, there's a mixture of Greek mythology and Disney-fied Hercules. Check out the story of Heracles.)_

**Chapter Five: Fathom's Below**

"_I ASK OF YOU ONE THING! ONE THING! GET IT RIGHT!"_

The whole school shook as the yell erupted through the air. Birds flew from the trees and the ground seemed to rumble. Our current protagonist was unlucky enough to be standing right next to where the roar came from. He and his friends jumped and covered their ears as they peered through the glass window on the door to see who or what was causing such a noise.

Through the window, they saw the band room and Mr. Sebastian Krab looming over whom they assumed was a new girl. The _Live, Love, & Play Music _poster, which normally covered the whole window, was hanging diagonally, providing a full view of Mr. Krab and only half of the girl. The only visible part of the girl was her lower half and a gold nautical shell necklace next to her foot. She fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat and tried to shrink down as small as a crab. In the corner near Mr. Krab was a young boy. He stood there terrified, eyes wide and shaking like crazy. His bottom lip was trembling and his mouth was moving wildly, attempting to form words. Mr. Krab opened his mouth and another loud scream burst through the air, this time a bit louder than the previous one. If our protagonist and his friends were getting their eardrums shattered just by being right outside the door, who knows what type of torture was occurring to the girl and the boy's.

One of the friends, a tall, muscular boy who was also quarterback, smiled and let out a small sigh. The other, who had long brown hair and seemed depressed, only let out a grunt.

"I never thought _anyone _could be as bad as Coach Octetes," the tall one said, examining his reflection in the window.

"I never thought anyone could be as annoying as you," said the depressed-looking one. He turned and faced the tall one, raising head to look him in the eye. "Sometimes I wonder why I waste my time on _you people_. At least Eric is normal."

Sometimes Eric couldn't believe how his popularity had affected his choice in friends. It was weird, to say the least. He was good-looking and charming enough to hang out with Philip and his group, but at the same time, he could never truly fit in. Then there was Max and his gang. Eric was adventurous and pretty laid back, but Max and his friends had been together for as long as he could remember and didn't seem too set in breaking their social circle. Also, they weren't exactly the most popular kids at Disney High. If we had a popularity hierarchy, you would probably expect Philip and his friends somewhere close up, Eric in the middle, and Max and his friends near the bottom. Basically, Eric wasn't popular enough to hang out with the "cool" kids and too popular to hang out with the "uncool" kids.

And yet, he had made friends with the quarterback and the loner.

Eric had been a friend of Herc's, the quarterback, since Herc transferred to Disney High from Olympus Academy sophomore year. Herc was not popular when he first transferred. He was scrawny and hadn't grown into his feet or his eyes. He was also pretty clumsy and bit shy. After knocking over the bikes outside of the school and ruining a senior's car, he was forever dubbed unpopular. He remained that way until he got the bright idea to become the star football player just like his biological father had at Olympus High. He spent everyday training with Coach Octetes. When the first day of this school year came up, girls were falling head over heels in love with the new Herc.

Now the other one, Adam, was bit more complicated. Adam was a snotty brat who was born with a silver – correction, _platinum _– spoon in his mouth. When his parents died, they left all the money to Adam, but he would only get it when he legally became an adult _and _when his legal guardian, Great Aunt Fae, said he could. Well, Great Aunt Fae wasn't going to give it to him that easily. First, he had to prove that he could actually be a nice and sincere gentleman instead of a – and I quote – "Good for nothing whippersnapper". Great Aunt Fae jokingly gave him a rose one day and told him that if he was lucky, he could plant a rose garden and sell the flowers on the street if he wanted to earn some extra cash. She thought the joke was funny; Adam did not. Anyway, Adam was still a bratty, little jerk when he came to Disney High and had tried to separate himself from the other students because he believed that he was better than them. The other students stayed away because of Adam's "back off" attitude, but Eric was the only one who bothered giving him a chance.

Eric was the glue keeping these two together. And from killing each other.

Mr. Krab was done yelling now and he took his place at the podium with baton in hand. He began conducting and the girl started to sing:

_"Bet'cha on land they understand/Bet they don't reprimand their daughters/Bright, young woman sick of swimming ready to stand—"_

"_NO! NO! NO!_" Mr. Krab boomed. "You didn't crescendo! How are you supposed to make a statement that you're longing if you don't crescendo? When you sing 'ready to stand', you need to _blossom_. Do you hear me, girl? B-L-O-S-S-O-M!"

Herc was ready to leave because he was sick of all the yelling. Adam was just wishing this day were over. Eric, on the other hand, kept his ear close to the door, straining to hear the girl continue singing. He didn't hear much of her beautiful voice, though, because it was drowned out or disrupted by Mr. Krab's yelling. Anyone could tell just by hearing the girl sing for a few moments that she had a set of lungs, but Mr. Krab must have the a larynx and vocal chords of a god! Only someone immortal could scream so much and never lose his voice.

Herc picked Eric up and tossed him over his gigantic shoulder. He and Adam walked down the hall towards their fifth period classes, gym for Herc and Eric and science for Adam. They departed ways at the stairwell, Herc still carrying Eric, and heading out the front doors across the quad and Adam heading upstairs. As they walked across the quad, they attracted the attention of some students, especially the ones who had no clue what their usual demeanor was like.

"Herc, put me down!" Eric protested for the millionth time in a row.

"Not a chance!" Herc laughed.

"Put me down, _Hera_cles!"

Herc dropped Eric on the ground where he landed with a _thud_. One thing that Eric knew was that no matter how strong, handsome, proud, or cocky Herc was, he was insecure about his full name. When he was adopted, or better yet found and then adopted, his name was Alcides, which I suppose was after his adopted mother Alcmene. He legally changed his name later when he found his biological father. To get on his stepmother's good side, he changed his name to Heracles after her name, Hera. He went by Herc so people wouldn't get a connection between his name and his stepmother's. That, and if you knew the whole story, you would see why he wouldn't want to be reminded of her. There's a common trend in stepmother evilness in this town.

The two continued onward to gym getting a bunch of _Herc, you're so cute_'s and _will you go with me to the homecoming dance with me, Eric?_'s. Herc was basking in the limelight, loving every second of it. Eric couldn't care less. He didn't really want a bunch of girls pining after him, but he didn't feel like going after any girls either. That was before he heard the girl of his dreams.

I say heard because if you remember, he never really saw the mysterious girl. It was hard for Eric to come to terms with it, but right now, he felt like he was pulling a Charming, trying to find a mysterious girl who he has no clue what she looks like (even though in Eric's case it's forgivable because he never saw her) and attempting to find her based on something really vague. He couldn't get a good listen of her voice, but he remembered the song. He'll probably have to ask Mr. Krab later today who the girl was or maybe track down the kid in the corner who was really close to crying.

In gym class they were doing the swim unit. The boys changed into their swim trunks and got into the pool. They swam a few laps, treaded water, saw how long they could hold their breath, and practiced different strokes. Eric was a really good swimmer. He was captain of the diving team, and he would have been captain of the swim team, but there was something more exhilarating about diving down into the water, feeling free for a few seconds before _splash!_ Today his amazing swimming skills failed him.

There was this guy, Gaston, a major jerk and the most hated guy at Disney High. He had to prove himself to everyone. He _had _to be the best at everything; it was sickening. Gaston didn't want to be shown up, and even though he wasn't the strongest swimmer, he still had to prove himself to Eric. So, what Gaston did was he swam up to Eric while Coach Flotsam was busy talking to his brother and shoved him down into the water.

Gaston was much stronger than Eric, not Herc strong but strong enough. He then swam down, pushing Eric further under. Gaston didn't mean to hurt Eric, but he didn't seem to notice that Eric's body was starting to go limp. Gaston returned to the surface and expected Eric to swim back up, but he didn't. He figured Eric was just joking around or whatever, so he continued with class.

One person did realize that Eric wasn't just joking. They dived into the deep end of the pool, ignoring the yells of protest from Coach Flotsam and the other students. Grabbing Eric, they swam with all their might and brought him up to the surface. Between mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, they yelled at someone to get the nurse. Eric began gasping for air and opened his eyes just enough to see the shape of a female face. He couldn't get a good look at her, though, as once the nurse came, the girl was yanked away by Coach Flotsam because females, whether they saved a life or not, were not allowed in the pool during male swim hour.

At least Eric was safe…


	7. Chapter Six

_(I honestly have no clue what happened to that shoe…Sorry for the short chapter.)_

**Chapter Six: The Ugly and the Wicked**

Ana Tremaine got out of her car and walked across the parking lot, upset and annoyed. It was a few weeks after Eric's accident, so all the talk of that had died down, and no one had found the mysterious girl who had saved him. People say her daddy forbid her from returning to Disney High for some reason. It wasn't the fact that that gossip had died down that was bothering her. No. It was what happened yesterday that made her so upset.

Yesterday, Princeton and his butler came over with a shoe asking if any of the girls in the house attended his party a few weeks prior. Ana and Drew bolted towards him. There was no way Drew or Ana was going to miss out on becoming the girlfriend to Disney High royalty. This may have been the overall, umbrella reason, but they each went much deeper. Drew was pretty greedy since she had taken after her mother and aspired to be like her. Not to mention, people always claimed that she was the prettier one. Drew was also the eldest, which made her think that she had some authoritative power over her little sister. Becoming Disney High royalty would make her one of the queens of the school and give her an even bigger head than she already had.

Ana just wanted to be accepted. It was bad enough being known as the dumb and ugly one from their mother, but even at school she seemed like the most unpopular girl. Ana didn't have many friends. People thought that she was this mean girl just because of the way her sister acted. Now, this wasn't to say that Ana couldn't be mean at times. We all have our mean tendencies, but Ana was only mean to keep up with Drew and her mother. Weakness was not an option in the Tremaine household.

So, Ana seemed mean and her occasional shyness made her seem like she was a snob who wanted to be left alone.

Now, back to Princeton and the shoe. It didn't fit either Ana or Drew, seeing as they have size ten feet and the shoe was a size six. Princeton was ready to try the next place, still mentally kicking himself for not remembering the girl's face. As he approached the door, lo and behold! Who should have come through the door from cooking class other than Ella? It was a sight to see. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Princeton had the famous _Love at First Sight _look and Ella won the award for the perfect timing. Princeton was about to get on one knee and put the shoes on, but Georgine snatched it out of his hand and….

I can't really tell you what happened with that shoe, but let's just say it's gone forever.

All hoped seemed lost. Princeton would never find the mysterious girl, Ana and Drew would never become Disney High royalty, and Ella would never figure out what was going on. Everything seemed ruined until Ella reached into her backpack and pulled out a matching shoe. Princeton's butler, who was about to pass out from the first shoe disappearing, was now about to pass out from joy that this girl had the match. So, Princeton got down on one knee slipped the shoe on her foot.

It fit perfectly.

So, that's what happened, a happy ending for Ella and a terrible one for Ana and Drew. Georgine figured it was Ella who was the girl Princeton was after even though she had no idea how she even got to the party. She locked all the doors to the house so there was no way that Ella could possibly get home and she could finally have her daughters date Princeton. They would have the power and opportunity that she never had, but no! Ella somehow managed to get through the door, probably due to her little rats she calls friends, and she and Princeton were going to date happily ever after.

Ana wasn't upset about the fact that Ella and Princeton were now together. It was the fact that Ella was already pretty, smart, and people actually liked her and that Georgine blamed her and Drew for what happened. Starting today, she and Drew were going to start doing some more work: getting their own breakfast, cleaning their own rooms, and finding their own way to school. Ana got lucky today because Georgine went to California for some Stepmothers Anonymous meeting and wouldn't be back until Thursday.

Ana stopped walking when she heard her name being called. Running and puffing across the parking lot was Drew. She adjusted her skirt and sweater and glared at Ana.

"What do you think you're doing leaving me at home to _walk _to school?!" Drew asked in between breaths.

"I asked you this morning, but you—"

Drew cut her off. "You didn't ask me a darn thing! Sometimes I think you're no better than Ella!"

Drew walked off in a huff. She took what happened yesterday a lot harder than her sister.

The first bell for homeroom rang and Ana bolted across the parking lot and towards the building. She ran up the two flights of stairs to the third floor and barged through the door.

"Miss Tremaine, you're late," Mr. Ratcliffe said, polishing his gold-encrusted grading pen. "Pick up your detention slip."

Ana picked up her pale blue detention slip from the little table next to the door and filled it out. There was no need to get Mr. Ratcliffe's signature because they were already pre-signed. It didn't bother her as much to be in detention. Ana had been in it before, mainly because Drew got her into trouble, so it wasn't something entirely new.

The day progressed slowly. Pre-Calculus, French 3, American literature, creative writing (Ana really loved English), astronomy, and then a free period right before detention.

Detention was held in the back of the cafeteria at a couple of small tables. Mr. Wiggins, the peppy and excitable home economics teacher, watched over it. He would _tsk _at the teens while doing some chore Mr. Ratcliffe had him do. Today, his job was to polish Mr. Ratcliffe's shoes and pluck out ever piece of pork in Mr. Ratliffe's dog's food. Even though people liked Mr. Wiggins, they felt sorry for him and wished that he would grow a backbone and stand up to Mr. Ratcliffe.

There weren't many people that day. The usual suspects: Peter Pan, who was probably in for skipping class to go to the middle school; Aladdin Habagra, in for stealing and spared by Mr. Hood; and Jim Hawkins, in for skipping class. The school's delinquet's who were spared because Principal Mouse or a teacher took pity on them.

Peter lived in the Foster Home For Lost Boys. He was the eldest and considered the leader of the band of middle school kids he called his friends. He was pretty immature for his age and had been held back, making him a sophomore instead of the junior he should have been. This didn't bother him because he made friends in the sophomore class, like Wendy and her cousin Jane. Peter always—for the most part, at least—had a smile on his face. Always, except for when Mr. Hook came around. Mr. Hook had it out for Peter after an incident last year when he came into woodshop to give Peter a detention for being late to class. Mr. Hook was so distracted he didn't notice the saw and…

…and Hook isn't just his last name.

Aladdin—or as you probably know him as Al—was known for stealing. Here's the thing (and I'm not trying to justify this or anything): Al was usually stealing stuff back from the kids who stole stuff. People thought that it was stupid and that he should just tell the principal, but Mr. Hood found it to be a noble gesture. "Steal from the rich and give to the poor!" Mr. Hood always said. If it wasn't for Mr. Hood, Al being a part of the Three Wishes Program, a program where teens get a mentor, and Mr. Mouse being a bit of a pushover, I promise you Al would not be attending Disney High.

Now, Jim. He was the kid people barely knew. Mention his name and all that you would get is "Jim who?" or "That guy I see in the hall every couple of weeks?". No one knew why he was such a delinquent and people never asked. He was a bit of loner and the only time anyone saw him out of school was when he was windsurfing or helping his mom out at the Benbow Inn. Rumor had it he was brought home by the police one night after he was hanging out in a restricted are of town. I guess the only thing people actually knew about him was that when he was younger he was a pretty average kid. He was nice, playful, and like most little boys had a love of pirates, especially Captain Flint.

These were the people Ana sat with for a good forty-five minutes.


	8. Chapter Seven

_(Maleficent's last name is Norwegian Scandivian and means "A mythical dragon." Sorry that I rushed through homecoming. It's never been a huge deal to me. Re-uploaded because I realized my stupidity.)_

**Chapter Seven: Homecoming**

"Eighteen…nineteen…twenty!"

Applause came from the practice field for the marching band. They had just finished doing twenty pushups as a punishment for the trumpet section talking while they were being called into attention. Mr. Krab rubbed his temples and barked at the band to go back to the beginning of their number. There was no way they could mess this up. Homecoming was tomorrow and they had to be perfect. Especially since they were going up against their mortal enemy: Universal. Also, Mr. Krab's reputation was at stake. He had very important job offer, Mr. Triton was going to be in the audience to consider him for doing another performance for him, and he had just received a call that some of his old orchestra members and people from the musical community were going to be at the game to see what "The Great Sebastian" was up to. There was a lot at stake.

Watching the band were two of Disney High's most hated faculty: Ms. Ursula Octa and Ms. Maleficent Fafner. Ms. Octa was surveying Mr. Krab, watching to see who she could steal and bring to the chorus side. Ms. Octa and Mr. Krab had never been on good terms. When someone needed to play for Mr. Triton, one of the richest oceanic philanthropists, owner of Atlantica Recordings, and who the natatorium was named after, Mr. Krab and Ms. Octa both jumped at the opportunity. Mr. Krab got the job and was praised in the music community, while Ms. Octa was shunned and forced to work with _children_. She had dragged Ms. Fafner with her to get her away from her sewing. As Ms. Octa always said, "Darling, we are in our golden years! It's time to work what we got and get what we worked for!".

Ms. Fafner wasn't too pleased with being out on a cold October afternoon and listening to "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah". Sometimes she wondered why she even humored Ms. Octa. In fact, she—and pretty much everyone else at Disney High—wondered why she and Ms. Octa were friends anyway. Ms. Fafner was a conservative woman who believed that public displays of affection were completely unorthodox, whereas Ms. Octa was a bit of a flirt. Ms. Fafner could pretty much never be caught smiling or cracking a joke; Ms. Octa had a sense of humor, even if it was a bit twisted to say the least. And where Ms. Octa wore tight clothing with low cuts, Ms. Fafner had a love of turtlenecks and long sleeves. Apparently they bonded over their love of their pets. Ms. Octa had two pet electric eels named Flo and Jet, whom she loved about as much as Ms. Fafner loved her pet crow Diablo. They bonded over that, and their similar makeup styles: thinned eyebrows, dark purple eye shadow, and red lipstick.

"What a bore," Ms. Fafner said with a yawn. She applied more of her green-white powder to her face. "How can anyone find enjoyment in students walking across a field?"

Ms. Octa smacked her lips and closed her compact. "If I knew, I would tell you. As I told you, we're not here to enjoy their racket. This game is very important for Sebastian. Apparently, a very prestigious college is going to give him a shot running their band and Triton will be in the audience this night. If I can ruin his performance, then not only will the college never hire him, but Triton will consider him too unorganized and inefficient to ever play for him again!"

"Why, Ursula, I didn't know you could be so dastardly."

Ms. Octa put her back to her friend, turned her head, and with a shake of her hip and sly grin on her face, said, "Sweetie, they weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch."

Ms. Fafner kept her blank expression, but a small smile could be seen on her lips. "I'm sure a witch isn't all they call you."

"As long as I got this—" Another shake of the hip. "—I don't care what they call me."

Out on the field then came the color guard and majorettes. In front was a slender woman with long, dark, and curly hair, and large, green eyes. When they reached the front, she gave a twirl and hit her tambourine a few times to tell the girls to stop.

"Is that the one that's gone sweet on Mr. Smith?" Ms. Fafner asked, appalled and disgusted by color guard instructor's hip shaking and hair flipping. She had heard rumors that one of the teachers had gone sweet on the American history teacher, Mr. Smith. There were no rules against it, but a bit of gossip was always interesting to the librarian. "I've heard that she's already seeing someone named Ralph or Rolfe or something."

"Oh, no, no, no! That woman there is Esmeralda. She used to be a beggar on the street, dancing in the park for money, but now she's married the football coach of Notre Dame."

"The college or high-school?"

"College."

"What is she doing here then?"

"Long distance relationship. Total trust in each other. Has no idea that the day janitor is in love with her."

"The one with the hunchback and deformed eye?"

"Yes!" Ms. Octa exclaimed.

"We sound like the girls who whisper in my library. Don't we, Ursula?"

"Maybe. Now, hush! They're starting again."

D*H

The next day was the homecoming parade and the football game. To celebrate homecoming, each grade had to dress in different costumes. The theme was fairy tales, royalty, and mythical creatures. Seniors were dressed as royalty, juniors as mythical creatures, sophomores as villains of the fairy tales, and freshman as fairy tale as long as they weren't royalty. Some of the girls went all out in their costumes, buying ball gowns and jewelry and crowns. Even the boys got dressed up in crowns and capes. The teachers even participated, picking a story and dressing up as the villain to fit them.

Walking the halls were alumni of Disney High who were allowed to walk the campus and were basically treating homecoming as another reunion. The teachers didn't bother teaching much today, so they didn't mind. I mean, it's the Friday of the homecoming game, the students are in costume, and the dance is tomorrow. What kid is going to learn? They'll just give them extra homework over the weekend to keep them focused.

One alumnus strolling the halls was a woman named Giselle. After graduating from Disney High she went to college in New York. Now she was back and ready to remind all the other alumni who was homecoming queen back when they were in high-school. Another was Mrs. Tiana Grenouille. Tiana arrived yesterday from New Orleans with her best friend, Charlotte. Tiana's husband, Naveen, was back in New Orleans, deciding not to come to homecoming since it wasn't a reunion or anything and because he had to stay behind and take care of the restaurant. I hear the beignets are delicious!

In the girl's bathroom there was a spread of makeup on the counters. Blush, bronzer, cover up, mascara, eye liner, and pretty much anything else you could think of in pretty much every single shade. Three blondes, all dressed as fairies in different colors, primped and plucked in front of the mirror, talking about Gaston. These girls were known as the Bimbettes and continued the stereotype of dumb blondes. The Bimbettes pined after Gaston almost every single day even though he ignored them constantly and went after Belle, who couldn't care less about him. Gaston liked Belle for her beauty, and even though the Bimbettes were beautiful, he loved the challenge of trying to get Belle to fall in love with him.

Trying to squeeze her way through Lancôme was Alice. She was dressed as one of her favorite fairy tales, Alison in Dreamland. Sticking out of her backpack was a little brown rabbit, one of the most known characters in the story. Unlike in Alice's fantasyland, where the white rabbit was always late, the brown rabbit was always early. Like, _really and awkwardly _early. She pushed her way past the Bimbettes, washed her hands, and quickly walked down the hall to get to second period and catch up with Snow.

"Snow, I barely recognized you!" Alice said, straightening her apron.

Snow was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. The basket she was carrying was full of apples and her hood was pulled up over her head. Her outfit resembled a normal peasant girl's, with a white blouse, a pale maroon bodice, grey skirt, and clogs.

"I'm sure the hood does a lot to conceal my identity," Snow said, pulling her hood down. "I was going to bake something for the class, but Stepmother thought it better if I brought something healthy."

"Well," Alice said, wrapping one arm around Snow and picking up an apple with the other hand, "an apple a day does keep the doctor away."

As she took a bite, a woman screamed, "No eating in the hallways!"

The command came from Ms. Queenie Heart, a woman obsessed with Valentine's Day, roses, croquet, the color red, and decks of cards. Over the summer, she had gotten some plastic surgery and dyed her hair. No one would tell her she looked like a clown.

"Yes, Ms. Heart," Alice said, chucking the apple into the nearest trashcan and walking into her and Snow's next class.

D*H

"KP, why are we here?" A blonde boy with a naked mole rat on his shoulder asked.

"The cheerleading squad is doing a cheer-off against Universal next week and Bonnie says that I have to check out their routine," KP responded

"Since when do you listen to Bonnie?"

"Since Barkin says I have to," she mumbled.

"And since when do you listen to _Barkin_?"

"Since he became the cheerleading coach."

The two stopped at the concession stand as they continued their conversation. Behind them was Max. He noticed the red hair on the girl in front of him and tapped her shoulder. After realizing that it was the wrong girl, he muttered an apology and quickly got out of line and back to his seat in the stands. He didn't want to be at the game, but PJ was being forced to, and Max couldn't let him go and be bored all by himself. And, of course, if PJ and Max were going, then Bobby was coming also. Al was only showing up because he was on trash duty for community service.

With no nachos, hot dogs, or sodas, the boy's looked at Max with disapproving looks.

"Think of it this way, Al," Max said with a sheepish grin, "less trash for you to deal with later."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"How could you not get my nachos?" Bobby asked, looking hurt.

"It's only second quarter," Max began and was interrupted when the buzzer went off. "Okay. Half-time. There's plenty of time for you to get nachos."

"You're buying?"

"No."

On the field, the marching band was lining up and preparing to march on. Coach Flotsam and his brother, Coach Jetsam, were attempting to stall by cutting off the power. They ended up electrocuting themselves and being whisked away in the ambulance kept close by in case of emergencies on the field. Ms. Octa didn't have time to continue with the rest of her scheme as she went with her "poopsies" to the hospital.

Principal Mouse came on to the microphone after the performance:

"Hello, everyone! Your principal here! Just to remind you, the candidates for homecoming king are Philip Thorne, Heracles Theós, Eric Anderson, and Gaston LeGume. The candidates for homecoming queen are Aurora-Rose Briar, Mei Huángdí, Laura Muet, and Megara Creon. Now, I shall announce our homecoming king and queen!"

Everyone got silent.


	9. Chapter Eight

_(These are my favorite friends in the whole story. Like Belle, I was almost hit with a falling pencil pouch and Trix Yogurt. Chapter fun facts are at the bottom.)_

**Chapter Eight: Tale as Old as Time**

_A tall figure dressed in blue and gold ascended the stairwell and walked down the hall toward the only room in the palace to emit a soft glow. He had been through a lot to get there, and it showed. The sleeves of his overcoat were torn; he had multiple scars and wounds, and the ribbon that held his hair back had been ripped during the fight he encountered previously. His light auburn hair hung in tangles around his face and brushed the open wound on his shoulder. It stung, but the pain was nothing compared to that which he felt over losing his true love. The prince opened the door and saw a young woman lying in bed. Her skin was pale and as he brushed a strand of hair from her face, he noted that her skin felt cold and hard. The young woman's hands were folded neatly across her abdomen. She looked dead. The prince collapsed to the side of her bed and put his head in his hands and let out a muffled sob. After all that he had been through, his love was dead. He checked her pulsed, which was nonexistent, and noticed that her stomach bobbed up and down. There was no pulse and no color in her cheeks, and yet she was breathing. He lightly shook her, but there was no response. Believing that he had arrived too late, the prince bent down and kissed his love. As he pulled away, her eyes fluttered open. Everything was blurry, but the young woman believed that her savior and love was familiar. As everything became clearer, the prince morphed. His blue and gold overcoat turned into a black button-down shirt and a red V-neck sweater. His once long, light auburn hair became short and brown. And the prince's large, blue, and hopefully shocked eyes became green and inquisitive. This wasn't her prince, the one who saved her from a deep slumber. Instead it was someone else. It was…_

"What are you doing in my house?" Belle screamed fully away.

Aurora opened the door to Belle's bedroom and stepped in, carrying a takeout bag and a fast food cup holder. She was perfectly calm and a bit amused by Belle's outburst. Her amusement escalated as she saw the scene before her. She had told Philip to stay here while she went to get some breakfast, but she didn't think that he would be sitting on Belle's bed staring at her while she slept.

Trying to stifle her laugh and ignoring Belle, Aurora said, "Philip, don't loom over girls while they're sleeping. It's creepy."

"What's creepy is that she was puckering her lips as if waiting for a kiss." Philip got off the bed, walked over to Aurora, and peered in the bag. "Bagels, muffins, and rose tea. Nice."

"Take the drinks before I drop them. I had to open the door with my foot."

He took the drinks and grabbed a bagel. "Thank God you brought food. It's bad enough you woke me up at four thirty."

"Hello!" Belle said, annoyed her friends forgot she was there. "Why are you in my house?"

"Relax, Sleeping Beauty," Aurora said, tossing her a muffin. "I told you we were going shopping for the homecoming dance tonight."

The muffin hit the headboard and fell to the floor. After picking up the muffin and setting it on the nightstand, she noticed the time. The clock read six thirty.

"It's six thirty in the morning. The mall doesn't open until at least seven or eight. Besides, do I _really _need a new dress? Do I even need to go to this dance, anyway?"

"Belle." Aurora was now raiding her closet. "People are expecting you and you're beautiful. Just because you don't pay attention to it doesn't mean everyone else does."

Philip, with a face full of bagel, agreed. "She's right. Girls would _kill _to look like you when they wake up. When I drove to Aurora' house this morning, you should have seen her. Curlers, acne cream, glasses—she uses prescription colored contacts by the way—and don't get me started on her—"

"That's enough, Philip!" Aurora pulled out a green dress and a pink one. "How about these?"

"If I remember correctly," Belle said, ignoring her question, "people weren't exactly jealous of me before. In fact, they never paid attention to me unless it was to call me odd and peculiar behind my back. We went to the same school all through elementary and middle, yet you never even knew who I was."

Background time! Okay. So, it was true. These three adorable friends weren't always the BFFs they are now. Belle was considered to be really strange because she was always reading instead of playing with the other children. She would walk through the school reading and dodging the hallway mishaps, like pencil pouches and Trix Yogurt falling from the floor above because people can't multitask very well. Pretty much all she wanted to talk about was books. _Jack and the Beanstalk, _books about princes in disguise, and anything else she had just read dominated the conversation. She had read every book in the library by the time she finished elementary school, and she had already started on the middle school's library. The fact that her dad was a "wacky" inventor didn't help people's views of her.

Her father, Maurice, was an inventor, as stated in a previous chapter. His inventions didn't fail, most of the time; it was just that people never really thought that they were that useful. In fact, inventing was a hobby that became his profession. Maurice used to be in business, and he was very successful. But the company failed. The boat carrying their stock was destroyed, the company had to make some cutbacks to make up for lost funds. In the end, they lost everything and Maurice was out of a job. He took to inventing to create an invention that would help the world and get him and his daughter out of their poor, provincial neighborhood. Maurice thought out of the box to create his inventions and people thought that his inventions were _too _out of the box. Just yesterday he created an invention that worked and was useful, so he was heading out in his car, called Philippe, to pitch it. I guess in such a rush he left the door unlocked and the alarm off.

Anyhow, Belle would come home after school asking her father if he thought she was weird and telling him about how no one would talk to her and how she felt that she had no one to talk to. She stopped asking these questions the summer after freshman year, when she met Aurora and Philip. While reading at the outlet mall (because her father believed she needed to get out of the library), she noticed a strange, blonde girl dancing and singing with a mannequin. Then, as if this wasn't a stranger sight, some random boy, who was watching the blonde from behind the bushes, came up and started dancing with her. Now, the blonde also thought it was strange. She tried to get away because she wasn't allowed to talk to strangers, but then the boy said that they had met. When the girl asked where, the boy said that they had indeed met once upon a dream just like the girl said to the mannequin. The two began dancing and singing and laughing. They had so much fun they didn't notice they had bumped into Belle as she tried to escape their weirdness and Gaston, who was coming out of a hunting store with LeFou. The two apologized and asked Belle if she wanted to join their little episode. Belle declined and went on her way. When she told her father about what happened, he said, "See, Belle. Being different is a good thing. It makes you unique. You're unique in the sense that you love to read and learn about the world. Now, those two, I'm not sure." When she saw them again a week later at the same mall, the blonde practically dragged her over and made her sit with them. They introduced themselves as Aurora and Philip, and it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Aurora continued to raid her closet, not very happy with what she saw. Between the sea of blue, black, and white, there were only two dresses: the pink and the green one she pulled out earlier. The pink one was too Christmassy and the green one spelled dinner party, but they could still work. Maybe if Aurora shortened the hem and ripped off those awful puffed sleeves on the green dress, it would look presentable. But at the same time, it was only homecoming. You could wear pretty much anything. Girls decided to dress up, though. I guess to impress people or to get an excuse to go shopping. Aurora really wanted Belle to dress up because she had won homecoming queen and wanted her best friend to make a statement. Especially since plan "Get Belle a Boyfriend" was going to commence soon. Why else do you think Philip had to meet Aurora in the library? They had to plan!

After grabbing a white, medium sleeved sweater dress, black leggings, and some undergarments, Belle headed out to the bathroom. When she came back, Philip was grabbing another bagel and Aurora was looking at her two dresses disapprovingly. Aurora considered herself really fashion forward for someone whose aunts would only allow her to wear grey, black, and white except for special occasions. Her current outfit was plainer than Belle's, with a long-sleeved black t-shirt, black mid-calf length skirt, and black ballet flats.

Belle started putting her hair in a low ponytail. "Why are we going shopping? I thought your aunts liked to make your dresses."

"Do you remember my prom dress from last year?" Aurora asked, shocked. She tossed both dresses back in the closet and fell on the bed dramatically. "'Pink!' 'Blue!' 'Pink!' 'Blue!' Why can't I just wear purple and be done with this mess?"

"I liked your prom dress," Philip said.

Aurora hit him with the pillow. "You like anything I wear! I could change the color and you wouldn't even notice!"

Belle could only smile as Aurora hit Philip with her pillow and Philip attempted to protect himself while trying to not spill his bagel and tea. The words her father said when she first met them rang in her head:

"Now, those two, I'm not sure."

D*H

The homecoming dance was held in the quad. Heaters were put up and lanterns were hung up in yellows, oranges, and pale pinks. A DJ was near the front of the quad and he was playing the top 40's. In the middle, a buffet table was set up with celery sticks, chicken tenders, brownies, and chips. Coolers with soda, water, and juice sat next to the buffet tables. Students were dancing and teachers were surveying the scene. Ms. Octa, who was flirting with Mr. Abdiel, who in turn wasn't paying any attention to her, had to leave the hospital to be a chaperone for the dance. On the dance floor were Principal Mouse and girlfriend, the secretary, Ms. Minerva Mowse. In the back of the quad, Max was trying to hide from the embarrassment. His dad was out on the dance floor doing moves from the 1970's, moves that probably weren't that hip even back then.

Belle didn't find a dress when she went shopping, and neither did Aurora. Belle ended up wearing the green dinner party dress and Aurora wore black. She didn't want to wear black, but she couldn't decide between blue and pink. She didn't like purple, and green was a definite no. Part of her really wanted to wear pink because she knew Ella Perrault would be wearing blue and didn't want to cause confusion. Also, Aunt Merryweather would be upset and she couldn't have that. Despite the dress situation, Aurora had even talked Belle into wearing her hair out and loose. Belle looked like a real beauty.

They danced until their feet hurt, took off their heels, and then danced some more. The dancing subsided when Principal Mouse stood in the middle of the dance floor, microphone in hand and made an announcement.

"I hope you all are having a great time!" he excitedly said.

The students responded with a "YEAH!"

"Great! I would like to congratulate the football team, especially our quarterback, for the win against Universal yesterday. I know winning against our rivals on homecoming is always a great experience. I would also like to give another congratulations to our homecoming king and queen, Eric Anderson, who I know we are all happy to have back at Disney High, and Aurora-Rose Briar. Now, let's continue having a magical time!"

The night continued smoothly. Aurora had to leave early because of her aunts and got a ride with Ella, who was also under curfew. Philip stayed to give Belle a ride home. It wasn't until the dance was at full swing that Belle got a call on her cellphone. She headed into the cafeteria to take the call and was shocked when she heard her father, sounding tired and sick. His car broke down and he had to find refuge. He stumbled upon an old, large palace up on a hill and went in as the door was unlocked and the house looked abandoned. He had called out to the owner of the home, but the only response given was the harsh wind, cruel rain, and the quiet whispers of the palace staff, drowned out by the thunder and their bodies concealed by shadows as they were hiding from their master. Maurice remembered the gift his daughter had asked him for, a rose. In the backyard there was a rose garden. As Maurice picked a rose, the most beautiful in the garden and most deserving of his daughter, a large, foreboding shadow cast upon him.

The shadow belonged to the young master, who—even though he was only child—had the presence and booming voice of a man. The anger in the young master's eyes was wild and animalistic. Maurice was not afraid of him. He was only a boy. However, being tired and sick from the journey made Maurice unable to argue and think clearly. He had come to an agreement with the young master instead of being charged with breaking and entering and theft. Written on a piece of paper and signed by both, Maurice would travel to young master's home and work until the master said that he had paid off his debt. This was not a legal binding document, so there was no reason for Maurice to go to his house, but Maurice was a man of his word and principles. He would never break a promise or agreement. But he would never make a promise or agreement he couldn't keep or fulfill. Cast out of the palace with no working car and little knowledge of the area, he had called Belle.

Belle, after hearing the story, went directly to Philip and asked him to take her to the address her father had told her. Seeing the desperate look in her eyes, Philip agreed with no questions asked.

**Fun Facts:**

**-According to the Disney Wiki (what I'm taking as the ultimate source of truth for this entire story when I can't rely on my memory or the source material), Belle is seventeen and Aurora is sixteen. If no one skipped a grade or got held back, Belle should be either a junior or a senior, and Aurora should be either a sophomore or a junior.**

**-His name should be spelled "Phillip" not "Philip". I just never bothered to check.**

**-The man he's named after, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, spells it my way. So, Disney, **_**you **_**got it wrong.**

**-In the original story, Belle's dad was a wealthy merchant who lost his fortune when his ships were lost at sea.**


End file.
